MU ranks mid-pack academically in SEC

University of Missouri faculty members once concerned about MU affiliating with schools in the Southeastern Conference are getting more comfortable with the idea.

That’s because Chancellor Brady Deaton last week outlined data that show MU won’t lead the pack in academics. Even though MU will be one of four SEC schools in the prestigious Association of American Universities, more SEC schools than Big 12 schools outrank MU in key areas.

In the SEC, for instance, MU will rank seventh out of 14 institutions in the amount of research dollars it is granted. In the 10-member Big 12, MU ranks second.

MU will place fifth in the SEC for the most faculty members serving on national academies, compared to third in the Big 12. And in both graduation rates and SAT scores, MU will rank sixth out of 14 in the SEC, down from third in both categories in the Big 12.

“We’re still with a group of colleges and institutions we can be proud of,” Deaton said.

Harry Tyrer, chairman of the MU Faculty Council, said he was surprised when he initially saw the data and asked Deaton to share it at last week’s fall faculty meeting.

“In the beginning of the fall, I was under the impression that we would be higher in the rankings in the SEC than we are in the Big 12,” Tyrer said.

Leona Rubin, an associate professor, also said she feels better about the move. Originally, Rubin had concerns about poor academic standards she feared would reflect badly on MU.

“I would say my opinion of the SEC academics and research has improved as a result of the data presented by Chancellor Deaton,” she said, noting that media reports also helped ease her fears.

Deaton told professors the move was in the best interest of the university and student athletes over the long term. At one point, Deaton said he was committed to keeping the Big 12 intact, even serving as chairman of the conference’s board. When some schools began courting other conferences, though, Texas A&M bolted for the SEC, leaving uncertainty.

“We did not feel we could responsibly stay where we are,” Deaton said.

It’s unclear yet how much the university will have to pay the Big 12 to get out of its current contract. Deaton stressed, though, that no tuition or state dollars will be used to pay those exit fees.